Sporting Notes

One part of the French walnut stock on the E.M. Reilly, circa 1895, probably made for Reilly by P. Webley in Birmingham. Photos cannot do it justice. It was restored by Edwin von Atzigen.

New & Used

Here’s a choice for you:  A new, custom-built shotgun, tailored to your every arcane specification…
Colt Woodsman
Colt Woodsman Match Target, circa 1950, with floral-tooled holster by H.H. Heiser and magazine pouch by S.D. “Tio Sam” Myers.

Into Leather

Leather is one of three living materials that are essential to the creation of fine…

Hunting As Writ

Like Robert Ruark’s hero, Alec Barr, in The Honey Badger, who “knew he had them,…
colt
Colt Woodsman Match Target, circa 1950, in as near-perfect condition as it gets. Like the aristocrat she is, she demands only the best: In this case, Federal Gold Medal Match ammunition.

Thanks, Joni

For the better part of a decade, we could make a call or go down…
JIM BOWIE KNIFE
Jim Bowie’s famous fighting knife. This one brought $11,750 at Rock Island in August in spite of having no provenance or identification beyond the name “ET Henry” etched on the blade. Perhaps the bidders knew something no one else did. It measures 18⅜ inches. Courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company

Ten Grand No-Name

“There are strange things done, ‘neath the midnight sun, by the men who moil for…
venison
First, some olive oil, salt and pepper, and an hour or two of soaking, turning regularly. Three-quarters of an inch is a perfect thickness.

The Benison of Venison

A week or so ago, John Barsness contacted me to see what I could tell…
Loading tools and accoutrements for the Pope-Stevens include a false muzzle, bullet starter, and bullet mould.

Hard Assets

The Rock Island premier auction that ended yesterday was an object lesson in the effect…
The only print left on Wieland’s wall is a caribou by Douglas Allen. Allen was a commercial artist, commissioned to provide art work for Jack O’Connor’s 1960 book "Big Game Animals of North America." As a full-page color plate in that book, this painting ignited Wieland’s love affair with caribou.

Art for a Buck’s Sake

The very first magazine article I ever wrote was about hunting caribou in Quebec; the…
A Gray’s library of shooting, and stuff that shooters should ponder. From hunting man-eating tigers to dropping pen-raised quail, there is an ethical side to hunting that we ignore only at our peril. Each of these books includes more than a little ethical reflection, but as Ruark said of the Old Man, “mostly he ain’t painful with it.”

A Gray’s Library (I)

From time to time, I’ll get a letter or, more usually these days, an e-mail,…
HENRY RIFLE
Alexander Henry hammerless single-shot rifle, chambered for the .450 Express 3¼”. An elegant rifle of flawless workmanship.

Notes on Alexander Henry

When we think of British riflemakers, the names that usually spring to mind are Holland…
Typical shooting at long-range targets in formal tactical competition. Fun for what it is, it does not translate to practice for hunting, nor does it pretend to be. The targets are 500-700 yards and barely visible to the naked eye.

Hit and Miss

Last week was educational in a number of ways. I was at a gathering in…
GUNS
The Smith & Wesson Model 16-4 (top) and the Ruger Single-Six are about the same size. They will shoot any of the four cartridges shown. From top left, the .32 ACP, .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, and the .32 H&R Magnum. Because the .32 ACP is semi-rimmed, it will not work in all revolvers, and should be tried only in strong, modern guns.

Bigger, But Not Better

A couple of weeks ago, I realized an ambition that has been lurking for 32…